Porous printing-ink-containing roller for inking printing plates



Apnl 9, 1968 F. HEIL. ETAL 3,376,813

POROUS PRINTING-INK-CONTAINING ROLLER FOR INKING PRINTING PLATES FiledAug. 27, 1965 W Va lawn/r2795 WM m Patented Apr. 9, 1968 3,376,813POROUS PRINTING-INK-CONTAINING ROLLER FOR INKING PRINTING PLATESFriedrich Heil and Wilhelm Muller, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, assignorst Telefonbau und Normalzeit GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed Aug.27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,170 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov.21, 1964, T 27,460 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-348) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREDescribed below is a roller mechanism for inking printing plates whichincludes a roller body of a spongy material for storing printing inktherein. The roller body has zones intended to engage printing platemeans, and additional zones intended to stay out of engagement with theprinting plate means. The structure further includes means for movingthe roller body to a printing-platemeans-engaging position, and out ofthat position to another position out of engagement with the printingplate means. The structure further includes means for constricting theaforementioned additional zones of the roller body to cause the flow ofprinting ink from said additional zones to the zones intended to engagethe printing plate means. These constricting means are under the controlof means allowing these constricting means to be effective only when theroller body is in the aforementioned other position out of engagementwith the printing plate means.

This invention relates to porous printing ink containing rollers forinking printing plates, and more particularly to a novel mechanismincluding such rollers.

This invention is particularly concerned with printing mechanisms of thekind generally used in postage meters including a plurality of printingplates, or the equivalent thereof, for making simultaneously a pluralityof impressions.

Printing mechanisms of this kind are provided with roller bodies made ofa spongy material, namely a spongy elastomer, which is impregnated withprinting ink forming an integral part of the roller body. Such rollerbodies do not need to be re-inked. The useful life thereof is as long astheir ink supply lasts. Therefore the useful life of such roller bodiesincreases as the size thereof is increased. The

v larger the size of such roller bodies, the less frequent the need forreplacement thereof. The space available inside of postage meters, andsimilar printing machines is, however, relatively limited, and does notallow the provision of ink-carrying roller bodies of the aforementioneddescription as large as desirable for minimizing the frequency ofreplacement.

In many instances a common roller body is used for simultaneously inkingseveral separate areas, each transmitting, a different message. In thecase of postage meters there are generally three such areas, namely oneindicating the payment of the required postage, another indicating themailing date, and still another filled with some advertising matt'er.These three imprints are generally made by three separate printingplates, or the equivalent of three such plates. Therefore the inkingroller includes zones where its surface engages the printing plates andtransmits ink to the surfaces thereof, and zones where the inking rollerdoes not engage the printing plates, and does not transmit ink. As theink supply in a roller body is gradually being used up, theink-depletion at the zones where its surface engages the surface of theprinting plates is much more rapid than at the zones where such anengagement does not occur. This is due to the fact that the ink isretained by capillary action in the zones of the roller body which donot engage the printing plates. As a result, the printing ink which isstored, or absorbed, in the zones of the roller body which do not engagethe printing plates is lost for all practical purposes, thus greatlyreducing the useful life of the roller body and the efficiency thereof.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide rollermechanisms for inking printing plates which are not subject to theaforementioned drawbacks and limitations.

It is another more specific object of this invention to provide rollermechanisms for inking printing plates the bulk of which is relativelysmall and the useful life of which is relativ'ely long.

Another more specific object of the invention is to provide rollermechanisms for inking printing plates wherein a larger portion of thetotal amount of printing ink contained in the spongy roller body thereofis used for inking printing plates than in comparable prior art devicesof the aforementioned description, and wherein the residue of unusedprinting ink at the end of the useful life of the roller body isminimized.

Still another object of the invention is to provide roller mechanismsfor inking printing plates wherein the depletion of printing ink occursmore uniformly along the length of the roller body than in theaforementioned prior art devices, and occurs substantially uniformlyalong the entire length of the roller body in spite of the fact that therelease of ink from the roller body to the printing plates is limited tocertain zones of the roller body, and occurs only at these zones.

Structures embodying this invention include a roller body of a spongymaterial storing printing ink, and means compressing the circumferenceof the roller body and thereby establishing localized constrictions ofthe roller body. These compressing and constriction-establishing meansmay be of a variable or a non-variable nature, as desired, to eithervary the degree of constriction established by them, or to permanentlymaintain a predetermined degree of constriction. The roller bodyreleases printing ink from any point, or points, of constriction in adirection substantially longitudinally thereof to the zones engaging theprinting plates where ink-depletion is largest, thus equalizing thedegree of ink depletion along the length of the entire length of theroller body.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description and the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 shows the imprints made by a postage meter of the kind used inthe Federal Republic of Germany;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the printing plates and the inking rollerused for making the imprint shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the same structure as FIG. 1, however, modified accordingto the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows another structure for making an imprint according to FIG. 1and embodying this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the structure of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof,the imprints made by the postage meter comprise a first imprint 1indicating the postage, a second imprint 2 indicating the mailing date,and a third imprint 3 referring to some advertising matter. Imprints 1,2 and 3 must be spaced relatively widely apart.

In FIG. 2 reference numerals 4, 5 and 6 have been applied to indicatethree printing plates for making the imprints 1, 2 and 3 of FIG. 1, andreference numerals 7, 8 and 9 have been applied to indicate the printingsurfaces of printing plates 4, 5 and 6. Printing plates 4, 5 and 6 maybe inked by the porous printing-ink-containing roller body made of aspongy elastomer. Roller body 10 is rotatable about shaft 11 supportedby the U-shaped bracket 12. Bracket 12 supports roller body 10 andreadily allows replacement of an exhausted roller body by another.Bracket 12 is provided with means (not shown) for pivoting roller body10 and its supporting shaft 11 in forward and backward directions atright angles to the plane of the paper on which FIG. 2 is drawn, thusimparting printing ink to the printing surfaces 7, 8, 9 of printingplates 4, 5, 6.

Upon a given relatively limited number of inking operations roller body10 is no longer capable of performing its inking duty and must bereplaced by another roller body. At the time when the replacement ofroller body 19 becomes necessary, the portions or zones thereof whichare situated between the printing plates 4, 5, 6, and do not come intoengagement with the printing plates 4, 5, 6, still contain most of theprinting link originally stored therein since but a small portion of theprinting ink originally present in these zones is allowed to flow to thezones of roller 10 which come into engagement with printing plates 4, 5,6. Most of the ink originally contained in the zones of roller body It}not engaging printing plates 10 is permanently retained in these zonesby capillary action, and thus entirely wasted.

The arrangement of parts shown in FIG. 3 makes it possible to betterutilize the printing ink present in the zones of the roller body 10which do not come into engagement with the printing plates 4, 5, 6, andto lengthen the periods of time at the ends of which a replacement ofroller body 10 is required. As shown in FIG. 3 exactly the same rollerbody 10 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided with means for compressing thecircumference thereof and thereby establishing localized constrictionsat the points 13, 14, 15 and 16 of roller body 10 not engaging theprinting surfaces '7', 8, 9 of printing plates 4, 5, 6. In theparticular embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 the means forapplying pressure to the circumference of roller body 10 at selectedpoints thereof and thereby constricting roller body 10 at such pointsare windings 17 made of ribbons. The ribbons are preferably of anappropriate synthetic resin and are coated with an adhesive which makesthem pressure sensitive. This minimizes the amount of labor involved inproviding roller body 10 at appropriate points thereof with windingsexerting pressure, constricting the roller body 10 and controlling thetransfer of printing ink inside of roller body 10 in such a way as togreatly increase the transfer of printing ink in directionssubstantially longitudinally of the roller body 10 from zones thereofnot engaged by printing plates 4, 5, 6 to zones thereof engaged byprinting plate 4, 5, 6. It has been found that due to the presence ofthe aforementioned windings 17 of adhesive tape, or of a like material,printing ink is being squeezed from the zones of roller body 10 notengaged by the printing plates 4, 5, 6 to the zones of the roller body10 engaged by the printing plates 4, 5, 6, resulting in an almostcomplete utilization of'the printing ink originally contained in thefirst mentioned zones. This, in turn, results in a much greater economyof printing ink, and in a much longer useful life of roller body 10.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 allows a morerefined or sophisticated control of the release of printing ink fromroller body 10 than the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3. Thebasic structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is the same as that shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, and the same reference characters have been applied toall these figures to indicate like parts. The structure of FIGS. 4 and 5differs from that of FIG. 3 only in regard to the means for squeezingand constricting roller body 10. The structure of FIGS. 4 and 5 includesa plurality of pairs of levers 19, 20. Each of this pair of levers isarranged at a Zone of the roller body 10 not engaged by printing plates4, 5, 6 and intended to be squeezed and constricted to better releasethe printing ink contained therein. Each pair of levers 19, 20 ispivotable about a common fulcrum or pin 21. Each lever 19, 20 hasarcuate surfaces 24, 18 conforming to the diameter of roller body 10 andengageable with the surface of roller body 10. Each pair of levers 19,20 is under the control of means for varying the angular relationthereof to selectively constrict roller body 10 at each point ofengagement thereof by the arcuate surfaces 24, 18 one of the pairs oflevers 19, 20. In the particular embodiment of the invention shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 each lever 19 and each lever 20 comprises a pair of armseach situated to opposite sides of fulcrum 21. The arms of levers 19, 20to the left of fulcrum or pin 21as seen in FIG. 5-are, or may be,engaged by an abutment 23 circular in cross-section. Levers 19, 20 areunder the action of a helical spring 21 biasing the arcuate portions orsurfaces 24, 18 of levers 19, 20 out of engagement with roller body ItIn the position of the constituent parts of the structure of FIGS. 4 and5 which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 bracket 12 supporting roller body 10by means of shaft 11 is in one of its limit positions in which positionthe arcuate surfaces 24, 18 of levers 19, 20 engage and constrict thecylindrical surface of roller body 10 and, therefore, cause a transferof printing ink from the constricted zones of roller body 10 to thenon-constricted zones thereof, from 'where the printing ink isultimately transferred to the printing surfaces 7, 8, 9 of printingplates 4, 5, 6. Bracket 12 and roller body 10 are being moved (by meansnot shown) in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 5 for the purpose oftransferring printing ink from roller body 10 to printing plates 4, 5,6. Pin or fulcrum 21 moves likewise in the direction of the arrow ofFIG. 5 when bracket 12 is being moved in that direction. Such a movementof pin or fulcrum 21 may be achieved either by providing an appropriatemechanism (not shown) for moving pin or fulcrum 21, or by supporting pinor fulcrum 21 by bracket 12. As a result of the relative movementbetween levers 19 and 20 and abutment or dog 23 levers 19, 20 are movedout of engagement with abutment or dog 23. Consequently the spacingbetween the arcuate surfaces 24, 18 of levers 19 and 20 may be increasedunder the action of biasing spring 22.

Upon inking of printing plates 4, 5, 6 by roller body 10 bracket 12 androller body 10 are returned to the initial position thereof which isshown in FIG. 5. In that position abutment or dog 23 engages arms 19 and20, thus reducing the spacing between the arcuate portions or jaws 24,18 of levers 19 and 20, and consequently caused localized constrictionof roller body 10.

It will be understood that by adjusting abutment 23, Le. slightlyvarying the position thereof relative to levers 19 and 20, the squeezingaction performed by the latter can be controlled to suit therequirements of any particular printing plates and of any particularprinting inks. Such an adjustment is also desirable when the impressionsmade by the printing plates begin to get paler, or less saturated, dueto progressive depletion of the supply of printing ink stored in rollerbody 10, in which case the pressure of arcuate portions 24, 18 of levers19, 29 ought to be increased to supply the zones of the roller body 10engaging the printing plates with the reserve of printing ink stored inthe zones of roller body 10 not engaging printing plates 4, 5, 6.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be madein the embodiments of the invention which have been illustrated anddescribed herein without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention as defined by the following claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A roller mechanism for inking printing plates comprising, incombination: a roller body of a spongy material storing printing ink,said roller body having zones intended to engage printing plate meansand additional zones intended to stay out of engagement with printingplate means; means for moving said roller body to aprinting-plate-means-engaging position and for moving said roller bodyto another position out of engagement with printing plate means; meansfor constricting said additional zones of said roller body to cause theflow of printin-g ink from said additional zones to said zones of saidroller body intended to engage the printing plate means; and meansallowing said constricting means to be effective and to constrict saidroller body only when said roller body is in said other positionthereof.

2. A roller mechanism as specified in claim 1 for inking printing platescomprising, in combination: a plurality of printing plate means; acommon ink-dispensing roller body for said plurality of printing platemeans consisting of a spongy material storing printing ink, said rollerbody having a plurality of zones each intended to engage one of saidplurality of printing plate means and said roller body further having aplurality of additional zones intended to stay out of engagement withsaid plurality of printing plate means; a plurality of constrictingmeans for constricting said plurality of additional zones to cause atransfer of printing ink from said plurality of additional zones to saidplurality of zones, each of said plurality of constricting meansincluding a pair of levers having a common fulcrum, and each of saidpair of levers having a first pair of arms of arcuate shape arranged toengage one of said plurality of additional zones, and each of said pairof levers having a second pair of arms under the action of biasingspring means tending to pivot said pair of levers about said commonfulcrum thereof and to thereby increase the spacing between said firstpair of arms of arcuate shape; and abutment means for engaging saidsecond pair of arms of said pair of levers when said roller body is insaid other position thereof to overcome the bias of said biasing springmeans and to decrease the spacing between said first pair of arms ofarcuate shape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 793,934 7/1905 Hunter 101-348 XR1,086,142 2/1914 Davids 101348 2,006,364 7/1935 Morse 101-348 XR ROBERTE. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. I. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner.

